Councillor Pam McConnell and her assistant met for a full 2 hours on Oct 8, with approximately 15 residents who live in Cabbagetown South. (It seems that a strong, well organized residents association can have sufficient influence to warrant regular attention from the city councillor.)
More than an hour was spent discussing problems with the new recycling and garbage bins. Pam suggested that front-yard storage of these bins was unsightly, and if a resident has no other storage option, then they should quality for bag pickup instead, if requested. Several attendees complained about trespassers (persons coming into a private backyard or front porch, to search their bins for deposit-return bottles). It was suggested that once winter snowbanks have accumulated, our narrowed sidewalks will be impassible when cluttered with bins; Pam doesn’t believe bins will be any problem in the winter.
Meeting attendees complained about other problems, which are similar to those encountered by Trefann residents: the poor state of repair of their potholed streets, garbage dumped in parks not cleaned up for several days, poor maintenance of individual houses owned by TCHC. Seven “police surveillance” cameras were installed in the Dundas Street East and Sherbourne Street area (51 Division) for a 6-month pilot (Nov 2007 – April 2008); meeting attendees thought the level of prostitution and drug dealing had increased, now that the cameras have been removed. If a neighbourhood identifies a location where illegal activity frequently occurs, it will be added to the “directed patrols” list (ie. police will drive by that location several times each day). Pam mentioned that the police are currently preparing their new business plan. Cabbagetown South lamented that they no longer get a small financial donation from the city’s film liaison office, as happened in the past.